Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Small changes in protein chemistry play large role in Huntington's disease
In Huntington's disease, a mutated protein in the body becomes toxic to brain cells. Recent studies have demonstrated that a small region adjacent to the mutated segment plays a...
The past matters to plants
It's commonly known that plants interact with each other on an everyday basis: they shade each other out or take up nutrients from the soil before neighboring plants can get...
Canopy giants and miniature fungi among 250 new species discovered in Kew's 250th anniversary year
Kew botanists announce more than 250 new plant and fungi species discovered in 250th anniversary year.
Chemical energy influences tiny vibrations of red blood cell membranes
Much like a tightly wound drum, red blood cells are in perpetual vibration. Those vibrations help the cells maintain their characteristic flattened oval or disc shape, which is critical to...
Amino acid key to enamel growth
CHICAGO, Dec. 23 (UPI) -- A simple amino acid that strengthens teeth could lead to therapies that grow healthy enamel over damaged teeth, scientists in Chicago said.
Study shows a key protein helps control blood pressure
University of Iowa researchers have shown that a protein channel helps nerve sensors in blood vessels keep blood pressure in check. Without the protein channel, known as ASIC2, the sensors...
Wild chimps have near human understanding of fire
The use and control of fire are behavioral characteristics that distinguish humans from other animals. Now anthropologists report that savanna chimpanzees in Senegal have a near human understanding of wildfires...
Bioengineered materials promote the growth of functional vasculature
Scientists have induced significant functional vasculature growth in areas of damaged tissue through the use of synthetic polymers called hydrogels.
New warbler identified in Southeast Asia
VIENTIANE, Laos, Dec. 22 (UPI) -- A tiny colorful bird with a loud and distinctive sound has been discovered living in the forests of Laos and Vietnam, scientists said.
Fungal footage fosters foresight into plant, animal disease
Mold and mildew may be doomed. Researchers are closer to understanding how these and other fungi grow. That's important because some 70 percent of the major disease-causing organisms are fungi....
Genomes of identical twins reveal epigenetic changes that may play role in lupus
Identical twins look the same and are nearly genetically identical, but environmental factors and the resulting cellular changes could cause disease in one sibling and not the other. In a...
Video: My day as a zoo keeper at Whipsnade
Rachel Holmes experiences what it is like to be an animal keeper at Whipsnade zoo: mucking out rhinos, feeding elephants and getting up close and personal with a Siberian tigerLaurence...
Remarkable Creatures: Whatever Doesn’t Kill Some Animals Can Make Them Deadly
Some species tolerate high levels of tetrodotoxin, and answers may lie in the evolution of sodium ion channels.
Forty years of farmed salmon ... and one genetic mystery
It’s known that escaped fish from Norwegian salmon farms can interbreed with wild salmon, and thus must have changed the genetic and physical makeup of the country's famed wild salmon...
Fisheries and aquaculture face multiple risks from climate change
Marine capture fisheries already facing multiple challenges due to overfishing, habitat loss and weak management are poorly positioned to cope with new problems stemming from climate change, a new study...
Microcephaly genes associated with human brain size
Scientists have shown that common variations in genes associated with microcephaly -- a neuro-developmental disorder in which brain size is dramatically reduced -- may explain differences in brain size in...
Swimming Bacteria Could Become Model for Micromachines
(PhysOrg.com) -- UConn researchers say Spiroplasma's propulsion style is optimal for converting energy into motion.
Foot binding and a biological approach to the study of Chinese culture
(PhysOrg.com) -- Exaptation is a familiar concept to evolutionary biologists. It's the basic idea explaining that a trait can evolve because it starts serving a different function. Think of birds:...
Observatory: Foraging Early Humans Did Not Pass Up Grains
Humans were eating sorghum grasses at least 105,000 years ago, an archaeologist reports.
Protein that represses genes may play role in cell growth
(PhysOrg.com) -- A Cornell study shows the protein not only activates some genes involved in the regulation of cell growth and signaling, but also may play a role in preventing...
Wiggling and waggling: Study sheds light on amazing bee brain
(PhysOrg.com) -- Their brains are tiny - about the size of sesame seeds - and yet the behaviour of the humble honey bee is so advanced it has scientists scratching...
'Sexy' orchids pollinate more efficiently
NAPLES, Italy, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Orchids that use sexual trickery to lure insects are more efficient in the transfer of pollen to another orchid, scientists in Italy said.
Pesticide runoff impacts salmon recovery
WASHINGTON, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- Reducing pesticide runoff from farms and homes could speed the recovery of wild salmon populations in the western United States, biologists said.
Egg Processing Plant Carts Can Harbor Bacteria
(PhysOrg.com) -- Plywood-shelved carts that are used to transport eggs into processing plants can harbor Enterobacteriaceae, according to a microbial survey conducted by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists in Athens,...
Making New Enzymes to Engineer Plants for Biofuel Production
(PhysOrg.com) -- Brookhaven scientists have created a new enzyme with the potential to interfere with a key cell-wall component in plants, possibly leading to plants that are easier to "digest"...
Your Christmas tree has seven times more DNA than you do!
Take a close look at your Christmas tree -- it has seven times more genetic material (DNA) than you do! Why this is so is still largely unknown, but now...
Inhibiting The Cellular Process Autophagy Makes Mice Leaner
The more brown fat cells a person has, the lower their body mass. Therefore, manipulating the development of fat cells so that they become brown fat cells rather than white...
Seamount diary: In Pictures
Unidentified deep-sea fish, octopus and squid are caught at the final stop of the 2009 Seamount expedition conducted by IUCN scientists.